


The Most Wanted Man

by paragraph (ebcdic)



Series: 48 Rules [6]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fashion & Models, Alternate Universe - Writing & Publishing, Gen, Gossip, Paparazzi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-22
Updated: 2015-03-22
Packaged: 2018-03-19 03:24:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3594516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ebcdic/pseuds/paragraph
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Misha's point of view during How to Marry a Millionaire and a reflection on his career and friendship with Jensen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Most Wanted Man

"Collins!"

Misha jumped up from his chair as his editor, Jim Beaver, strode past his desk. The man was always going a mile a minute, snapping orders and gulping down coffee like it was going out of style. He trailed after his boss and tried not to get hit by a flailing limb or get coffee spilled on him as the man started barking orders at the other journalists he passed. Beaver was a hard ass, but Misha respected him. The man had covered wars all over the world, had interviewed four presidents, and had two Pulitzers under his belt. Misha had majored in journalism because of guys like Beaver.

"Listen, I got something for you," Beaver said as they entered his office. He tossed a file folder at Misha, which Misha barely caught. "And I don't want any bitching about it."

Upon opening the folder, Misha understood the caveat. "You want me on page six?"

Page six was nothing but celebrity bullshit. Most of it just required compiling a bunch of blind items with no real thought involved. Last Misha checked that section was handled by an intern.

"Time are changing, Collins," Beaver sighed as he sank into his desk chair. "The newspaper business is a sinking ship and the only way to stay afloat is to give the people what they want. And what they want isn't political commentary or exposes."

"But… why me?" Misha asked. He knew that Beaver was right, but that didn't mean he had to be the one to write the bullshit.

"You're a bright kid. I think you can walk that fine line between gossip and journalism." Beaver shrugged. "And it comes with a promotion."

Misha glanced down at the file folder again. The latest column was a jumble of celebrity names, only half of which Misha had ever heard of before in his life. He looked up at Beaver again.

"Okay, fine. But I want an op-ed, too."

Beaver smiled, like he had been waiting for that all long. "Done."

**

The job at least had its perks. Misha got to attend movie premieres, awards shows, and hot parties, and all of it was comp'd by the newspaper. On the other hand, the so-called celebrities he was paid to follow were mostly shallow and boring. Even the miles of tan and toned flesh at the ridiculous pool party Misha was being forced to cover weren't enticing enough to stop him from yawning.

"You can't be bored already."

Misha turned to find Jensen Ackles, the eighteen year-old superstar, smirking at him with green eyes dancing in delight. When Misha laughed, Jensen grinned and then took a delicate sip of his iced tea.

"This isn't exactly my scene," Misha said, ignoring the very obvious eye-fucking Jensen was giving him.

"Hmm. Guess it pays the bills, huh?" Jensen asked as his eyes finally drifted back up somewhere in the vicinity of Misha's face.

"Something like that." Misha grabbed a glass of wine off a passing waiter's tray. He was going to need a lot more alcohol to deal with a flirty eighteen year-old with a hot body who also happened to be married to one of the richest men in the country. Even if Misha wasn't gay. Or interested.

"I've got your number. I remember when you used to write real news," Jensen said over the rim of his glass.

"No such thing," Misha muttered. He was still a bit bitter about being put on this beat and growing more cynical by the minute.

"How about I make you a deal?" Jensen asked.

"What kind of deal?" Misha asked despite himself.

"I feed you gossip." Jensen stepped closer, his lips just barely brushing Misha's ear. "And you only write what I tell you to write when it comes to me."

"And why should I agree to that?" Misha asked with a small quirk of his lips. The boy had balls.

"You'd be surprised what I know. For instance, a certain someone is pregnant." Jensen tilted his head slightly and Misha's eyes tracked the motion, landing on a certain actress who swore she would never have children.

"How do I know you're right?"

"You don't. But does it matter in your business?" Jensen stepped back slightly and raised his eyebrow.

"I'll think about it," Misha said non-committedly.

Jensen smiled and then slipped a piece of paper into the pocket on Misha's shirt. Where he had been hiding it in those tiny swim trunks, Misha didn't want to know.

"Call me."

**

As it turned out, Jensen was right. He claimed that because people focused so much of their attention on him as a sexual object that they didn't notice him listening in on conversations or casually checking out who they were texting on their cellphones. Jensen had flirted his way into all sorts of information. And Misha? Well, he became so popular that he quit the paper and started up his own blog, leaving Beaver to go back to filling the page with blind items.

Misha's relationship with Jensen evolved into something more like friendship over time. He was pleasantly surprised that Jensen was a good conversationalist with a sharp mind. Sometimes he knew more than Misha on certain political subjects despite his lack of a college education.

"I spend a lot of time traveling. Have to do something on the plane to entertain myself," Jensen said when Misha asked how he knew so much about whatever topic they were discussing.

Jensen tried to be blasé about it, but Misha could tell he was pleased that someone took an interest in him for his mind instead of his other considerable assets. They started playing golf together during his marriage to Lloyd and kept it up through Jeffery Dean, the terrible divorce, and into his relationship with Jared.

Well, until Misha crossed the line.

**

"How could you do this?" Jensen asked him over the phone. He sounded sad and resigned rather than angry.

Misha sighed. He should've figured this was coming. After all, they'd had an agreement for years. But that agreement didn't say Misha couldn't post about Jensen, just that he wasn't allowed to give away anything said in confidence and that he would play up Jensen Ackles the commodity, rather than Jensen Ackles, the person.

"Jensen, I didn't violate the terms of our agreement," Misha finally answered.

"No, you just destroyed any trust I had built with Jared," Jensen spat.

Before Misha could attempt to defend himself, Jensen had hung up. Misha ended the call and then turned back to his computer. He was halfway through a piece on Paris Hilton, but he backspaced through the entire thing. After a pause, he started typing again, words flowing out of him like water, all of them about current events, and none of them about celebrities.

Jensen was probably never going to speak to him again, but Misha liked to think he would be proud.


End file.
